Perthshire osprey NC0 appears to have a new mate following death of partner LM12

Alastair McNeill
·3-min read
-Credit: (Image: SWT)
-Credit: (Image: SWT)


A Perthshire osprey, who lost her long-term breeding partner in May, appears to have accepted a young male as a future mate.

By the end of April three eggs had been laid by female osprey NC0 at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes reserve near Dunkeld.

It followed the reunion of NC0, and her male companion, LM12, at their lochside nest at the end of March after a winter spent in West Africa or Iberia.

Mates for last four years, they fledged seven chicks during that time. However, LM12’s remains were found near the nest in early May.

NC0 was not able to incubate the eggs to hatching and raise chicks without her mate.

NC0 has since received attention from several male ospreys - including a young, heavily marked osprey known to the SWT as the ‘Dark Intruder’ (D.I.).

An SWT Loch of the Lowes spokesperson said: “It is clear from his behaviour that ‘D.I.’ is young and inexperienced, and most likely a two to three year old who has never bred before.

“He is roughly doing the right things by bringing in small fish, trying to mate, gathering nesting materials and defending the territory, however he has some way to go to prove himself capable of raising a family next year.

“Judging by [film] clips, ‘D.I.’ might want to up the size of his fish deliveries on a more regular basis.

“Although he has managed to catch a couple of larger meals and even waited patiently for two hours for NC0 to return before bringing in a more modest offering, given the size of the fish she brought to the nest it seems that size does indeed matter.

“Bringing his mate the osprey equivalent of ‘flowers’ (alder leaves) doesn’t quite cut it either – but he’s certainly trying his best to impress her and has been heard ‘skydancing’ over the reserve on multiple occasions.

“With the whole of the summer for the pair to strengthen their bond and NC0 guiding him by shouting her needs at every given opportunity, there is plenty time for ‘DI’ to up his game and prove he is worthy of being her future mate.”

On Monday, May 27 a young two year old English female (Blue 7C1) landed on the nest, and kept both NC0 and D.I. busy.

The intruding osprey he was eventually seen off the nest by NC0.

The Loch of the Lowes spokesperson added: “At this time of year it is not uncommon to see young birds returning to the UK for the first time making a nuisance of themselves on existing nesting sites.

“These youngsters will spend much of their first few years roaming the country looking for a vacant territory, or seeing if they can usurp one of a breeding pair.

“What was particularly interesting about this young Cumbrian female returning to the UK for the first time, was that she had also been seen at two nests in Wales prior to landing at Lowes – Clywedog on May 19 and then intruded at Dyfi on May 24.

“She also has some famous Welsh osprey lineage, being the grand-daughter of the long time breeder Mrs G from Glaslyn (with her famously dark plumage) and the daughter of male Blue 9C, whose sister Blue 8C (both also from Glaslyn) intruded on the nest at Lowes in 2023 and 2022.

“It just goes to show how both webcams and colour rings contribute to our understanding of the dispersal and population growth of osprey both in the UK and overseas.”

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